Until recently, many Americans just assumed that the stature of the Office of the President ensured the observance of certain practices that are unwritten but responsible and well-established, one of which is the disclosure by candidates of their tax returns and, by extension, possible conflicts of interest. The 2016 election shattered this confidence. I hope we can come together to rebuild it.

I intend to file a bill for the 2017-2018 legislative session to

tell future presidential candidates that they cannot appear on a primary or general election ballot in Massachusetts until they release their tax returns and disclose potential conflicts of interest. I ask your help in approaching my Senate and House colleagues to serve as co-sponsors.

The legislation would require candidates in major party primary elections for president to submit their three most recently-filed tax returns to the Secretary of State, who would be obligated in turn to make the documents public at least 30 days before voting in the relevant primary begins.

The legislation also requires candidates for president and vice president in the November general election to submit their five most recently-filed tax returns to the Secretary of State, who would make the documents public at least 50 days before voting begins.

A third aspect of the bill requires both primary and general election candidates to file Statements of Financial Interests like the ones required of candidates for Massachusetts state elected office, filings that disclose businesses owned, real estate investments, financial investments, gifts and honoraria received, and financial debts and mortgage debts owed.

A candidate for president -- or vice president -- who did not comply with these provisions would be ineligible to appear on the relevant Massachusetts ballot. To ensure compliance, a fourth provision of my bill would bar Massachusetts state electors from casting votes in the Electoral College for candidates who fail to meet the first three requirements.

Apologists for non-transparency will worry out loud that candidates may avoid competing in the state's party primaries in order to duck disclosure and keep their financial entanglements hidden. But I doubt Massachusetts will be the only state to come forward in defense of the tradition of transparency. Other states will, I expect, help us re-establish the nation's longstanding commitment to avoiding personal enrichment by occupants of the highest office in the land.

We find ourselves in interesting times, but we're also beginning to find ways to respond. Happy holidays and an optimistic New Year to you and your loved ones.

Appreciatively,

Sen. Mike Barrett

Video: Reflections at Walden

At the opening of
Walden Pond's new Visitors Center, I hailed the Reservation's ongoing contributions to research into global warming. During the 1840s and '50s,
Henry David Thoreau took meticulous notes on the dates of the first blooming of wildflowers, the first leafing of trees, and the annual formation and breakup of ice on the Pond. To measure temperature changes and their impact over the past 155 years, scientists today compare their data to his. If we in the Legisl
ature can summon the political will to "put a price on carbon," we will have taken a dramatic step to protect beautiful places against the ravages of climate change.